United Wi-Fi privacy policy

Your privacy is important to us

United Airlines is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data it receives from customers.

This Privacy Policy is intended to inform you of our policies and practices regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information through United's in-flight Wi-Fi service. This service is provided by a United service provider and for purposes of this policy is collectively referred to as the "United Wi-Fi Service". For purposes of this Privacy Policy, United service provider shall include United's contracted service providers and their respective subcontractors, if applicable. This Privacy Policy applies only to information collected, used and stored when you use United Wi-Fi Service inflight. While United strives to take reasonable measures to protect the privacy of our customers, this Privacy Policy is not a contract and does not create any legal rights or obligations. Rather, the following are guidelines for protecting the information you provide to us.

User consent

By purchasing and/or using the United Wi-Fi Service, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy and you expressly consent to the collection, use and processing of your personal information by United, its affiliates, partners, contractors and permitted agents according to this Privacy Policy and United's Customer Privacy Policy. For United's Customer Privacy Policy, please go to united.com. If you are a User who resides outside the United States, you understand that your personally identifiable information may be processed in countries (including the United States) where laws regarding processing of personal information may be less stringent than the laws in your country.

What information do we collect?

Personal information you provide to us

When you purchase and/or use the United Wi-Fi Service, United collects and maintains certain personally identifiable information (such as name, address, credit card number and email address) in order to complete your transaction and provide you with services.

Other information collected via technology

As you use the United Wi-Fi Service, certain information may automatically be collected, including your Internet protocol address, browser type, and operating system. United also collects information by using technologies and methodologies such as "cookies" that enable tracking or provide other information regarding your interaction with the United Wi-Fi Service.

Cookies are small bits of information that are stored on your computer by your Web browser. Cookies help establish a user session and allow our server to correctly provide site users with the appropriate information, services and/or advertisements. Additional information about the use of cookies is described below.

We will collect the Media Access Control Address or "MAC Address" of the wireless device that you are using to access the United Wi-Fi Service. The MAC Address is an identifier attached to a network adapter, such as your wireless (Wi-Fi) card, device or component. An "Internet protocol address" or "IP Address" is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer when you use the Internet. We assign your computer or device a dynamic IP Address that varies from session to session when you use the United Wi-Fi Service. We may associate your MAC Address and IP Address with your personally identifiable information.

Children

We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information about United Wi-Fi Service users who are under the age of 13. If you learn that your child has provided us with personal information online without your knowledge, you may contact us by sending an email to web-mpi@united.com or by calling 1-800-421-4655, and ask us to delete this information from our records.

How do we use your information?

United uses your personal information to complete transactions in fulfilling your request for purchasing and/or using the United Wi-Fi Service, to respond to requests that you make concerning the United Wi-Fi Service, and to better tailor the features, performance and support of the United Wi-Fi Service. We also use your personal information to provide you with a more effective customer experience. In order to do this, United may process your information or combine it with other information that we have about you or that is publicly available.

In addition, United may share this information with contracted third parties, such as its Wi-Fi service providers, for the purposes of fulfilling your request to purchase and/or use the United Wi-Fi Service. We require strict contractual obligations from these third parties to ensure safeguards for the privacy and security of the information which are at least as restrictive as this Privacy Policy in handling your information.

We track IP Addresses in conjunction with user session cookies to analyze our Web page flow. We may use records of your feedback, if provided, for support, training and improvements to the United Wi-Fi Service.

We may create anonymous or aggregate information for the purpose of internal reporting and improving our service offerings to you. Such information may be shared with United partners or other third parties. Examples of such information are X% of United Wi-Fi Service users purchased Internet access; X% of users were on flights in excess of two hours, etc. Neither anonymous nor aggregate information is associated with your contact information and neither includes personally identifiable information.

Emails

We use email addresses to deliver information relevant to your purchase and/or use of the United Wi-Fi Service. We reserve the right to send you emails or other electronic messages for administrative purposes.

Online feedback

You will have the option to provide feedback on your experience with the United Wi-Fi Service to improve our services via the Feedback link on this site. Your participation is completely voluntary. Your comments via the Feedback link will not be associated with any of your personal information.

Cookies

Cookies help establish a user session and allow our server to correctly provide site users with the appropriate information, services and/or advertisements. We also use cookies to ensure you obtain the information you request and to authenticate your authority to access the United Wi-Fi Service. In addition, we use cookies to track usage in order to improve the site and service in accordance with our customers' needs.

While most people accept cookies, you can configure your browser to not accept cookies from us or from third party companies, like third party ad servers. If you choose not to accept our cookies, however, and are a registered user, you will not have access to your personal information on this site. In addition, if you disable our cookies you will not be able to purchase Internet service. There may also be other site functionality which may not function properly if your browser does not accept cookies.

Domain names

Information regarding domain names is aggregated to measure the number of visits, average time spent on the site, pages viewed and similar site usage information in order to know how to improve the site's content.

Children

No information we collect from children known to be under the age of 13 is used for any marketing or promotional purposes. Such information is used solely to provide services. We will give out personal information about children if required by law, for example, to comply with a court order or subpoena or to protect the safety and security of visitors and our sites.

Law enforcement / Legal processes / Other uses

United may disclose personal information if required to do so by law, court order, subpoena or other legal process, as requested by a governmental or law enforcement authority, when it is necessary to protect the rights or property of United, our customers, our websites or their users, or when we believe in good faith that it is in the interests of aviation security or that disclosure is otherwise necessary or advisable. United and/or its Wi-Fi Internet service providers may be required by law, by government authorities or by law enforcement officers acting under color of law, to allow them access to some or all of your communications on or through the United Wi-Fi Service. By purchasing and/or using the United Wi-Fi Service you expressly consent to the transfer of your communications, including identifying information associated with the use of the Internet via your device, as well as certain necessary personally identifiable information, searches or communications, to United and/or its Wi-Fi Internet service providers in the United States, in order to receive United Wi-Fi Internet service and to comply with legal requirements. You also understand and expressly agree that: 1) United's Wi-Fi Internet service providers are obligated to enable access to any of the information discussed in this policy to governmental or law enforcement authorities for law enforcement purposes, and 2) United and its Wi-Fi service providers may disclose any such information if served with a court order, subpoena or other legal process.

How can you access your information?

If you are registered on one of our websites, you can create, view or update your MileagePlus account by accessing it through the MileagePlus profile section on united.com.

How is the information collected online protected?

United maintains strict physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to protect personal information and regularly reviews its security standards and procedures to protect against unauthorized access to personal information. When you place orders to purchase services or access your account information, we use secure servers to protect your personal information. Secure Socket Layer (SSL) software encrypts the personal information that is transmitted between you and our websites.

Although United takes reasonable steps to safeguard and to prevent unauthorized access to your private information, it cannot be responsible for the acts of those who gain unauthorized access, and United makes no warranty, express, implied or otherwise, that we will prevent unauthorized access to your private information.

Other websites

This Privacy Policy covers only the United Wi-Fi Service for United and its corporate affiliates and does not cover any other website, including those related to this site such as united.com, unitedvacations.com, unitedcargo.com or the non-U.S. United sites, nor does this policy apply to unitedcontinentalholdings.com. While we make every effort to protect your information on our websites, we do not control the policies of third-party sites that we may link to. As such, we have no control over third-party sites' privacy policies or use of any personal information you or others may share with them. Please do not assume that this Privacy Policy covers those other sites.

Protect your personal information

In order to protect your privacy and United's proprietary databases and systems, we recommend that you not share any of your personally identifiable information, such as MileagePlus number or password, with any third-party information aggregators that would allow them access to sensitive account information.

How can you contact us?

If you have comments or questions about this Privacy Policy, please email us at customervoice9@united.com. Please reference this Privacy Policy in those communications.

Legal effect and changes to the policy

As indicated, this Privacy Policy is not a contract nor does it otherwise create any legal rights or obligations. Rather, this Privacy Policy merely reflects guidelines setting forth United's intended business practices. United, in its discretion, may amend, interpret, modify, or withdraw any portion of this Privacy Policy and related business practices at any time by posting updated text on this site, and your continued use of the United Wi-Fi Service constitutes your consent to those changes. This Privacy Policy is effective as of September 1, 2012.